Irish whiskey and Scotch whisky industry leaders met in Dublin last week to discuss global trade pressures and the future of the sector. The talks, hosted by the Irish Whiskey Association (IWA) and the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), came days before US President Donald Trump said he planned to remove tariffs on Scotch whisky imports into the United States.
The IWA and SWA said the meeting focused on the need for a stable and predictable trading environment as producers face uncertainty in major export markets. The associations also pointed to rising input costs, excise duty and inflation as factors squeezing demand.
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The tariff announcement in the US has since been clarified by the Office of the US Trade Representative, which confirmed the preferential treatment would extend to all whiskey produced in the United Kingdom. It will continue the Economic Partnership Agreement agreed by the US and UK governments last year.
The IWA welcomed the move on behalf of Irish whiskey produced in Northern Ireland and described it as a step towards wider liberalisation. SWA chief executive Mark Kent said: “We are hugely grateful for the sustained efforts on both sides of the Atlantic. For months, many have worked tirelessly to return zero-for-zero tariff trade for whisky and bourbon.”
He added: “The special relationship that the Scotch Whisky and American Whiskey industries share will be reinvigorated by this announcement.” Eoin Ó Catháin, director of the IWA, said the group was still pushing for broader relief across the sector. “We are continuing to work with US partners – representatives of the sector, cooperages, distillers, hospitality, retail – as well as EU and UK distillers to restore the zero-for-zero trading arrangement for the benefit of all,” he said.
Irish whiskey exports are estimated at about €1bn a year, while Scotch whisky exports were valued at about £5.3bn in 2025, according to the release. Both industries have also faced the effects of tariffs in the US, described as their most valuable export market.
The associations also pointed to recent trade agreements with India as a potential growth driver in the world’s largest brown spirits market. India is among Irish whiskey’s top five international markets and has become Scotch whisky’s biggest export market by volume.
Helen Mulholland, chair of the IWA and master blender with Sazerac of Ireland, said: “The Irish Whiskey Association’s priority is to protect the integrity of Irish Whiskey while supporting its global growth.” Rita Greenwood, chair of the SWA and chief investment officer at William Grant & Sons, said: “We will continue to work closely with our international partners… to address shared challenges, explore new markets and support the long-term growth of the industry.”
More information about the Scotch Whisky Association is available at https://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/.
